Indigenous Youth Participation in Euro-Canadian Sport: Key Insights and Theories of Refusal

Introduction to Indigenous Youth Participation in Euro-Canadian Sport

• Indigenous youth participation in sport has historically been viewed through the lens of barriers and challenges.
• This paper argues for the perspective of nonparticipation as deliberate refusal of Euro-Canadian sport systems instead of merely viewing it as a lack of access or opportunity.

Key Arguments and Contributions

• The authors connect Indigenous theories of refusal to sports, presenting nonparticipation as a political act against settler colonial structures.
• Acknowledges the role of researchers in reproducing colonialism through sport studies.
• Provides examples of Indigenous refusal within sports, focusing on the Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse Team as a primary case study.

Theories of Refusal

• Indigenous Refusal (A. Simpson, 2007, 2014): Alternative to the political act of recognition, refusing colonial narratives that fail to validate Indigenous sovereignty.
• Coulthard (2014) critiques state recognition as reproducing colonial power rather than promoting true reconciliation.
• Refusal can manifest through various acts, such as opting out from voting or denying government documents in favor of Indigenous identity.
• These acts of refusal interrupt colonial narratives and challenge the structures imposed by settler states.

Background: Euro-Canadian Sport as a Tool of Assimilation

• Historical context of sports programming in Canada has been used to assimilate Indigenous youth through Euro-Canadian values (competition, individual achievement).
• Sports programs target Indigenous youth under the premise of beneficial outcomes, yet often disguise underlying colonial intentions.
• Indigenous youth have been more frequently portrayed as at-risk, sidelining their agency and refusal to engage in imposed systems.

Indigenous Youth Nonparticipation in Sport

• Various individual and systemic factors contribute to disproportionate rates of nonparticipation among Indigenous youth:
  • Socioeconomic status, racism, and limited access to resources.
  • The deficit narrative focuses on Indigenous communities as lacking rather than recognizing the active decisions to refuse colonial systems.
• Tuck and Yang (2012) argue against viewing Indigenous peoples as subjects needing intervention, proposing decolonization instead as repatriation of land and sovereignty.

Limitations of Current Research Methodologies

• Research methods often fail to account for active refusal as a possible explanation for nonparticipation.
• Interview methods can inadvertently exclude Indigenous perspectives or frame silence as a lack of agency rather than as a form of refusal.
• Quantitative research limitations: Studies reduce complex narratives to simplistic barriers, neglecting cultural traditional activities seen as legitimate forms of sport by Indigenous communities.
• Participatory Action Research (PAR), while inclusive, often retains a Eurocentric framework that can limit true collaboration.

Examples of Indigenous Refusal of Sport

• The Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse Team (INLT) refused to participate in the 2010 World Lacrosse Championship due to issues with passport recognition, asserting their own sovereignty.
• Wāhine athletes in Aotearoa show refusal through passive means, reflecting cultural values around body integrity against colonial bio-testing practices.
• Recognizing refusal as an active community and identity-statement contrasts narratives of victimhood with empowerment.

Conclusions and Future Directions

• Refusal as a concept allows researchers to rethink participation dynamics and better represent Indigenous perspectives in sport.
• Emphasizes the need to respect Indigenous methodologies in research and craft narratives that reflect youth agency.
• Calls for Indigenous-led sport initiatives that honor traditional practices and systems of governance, leading to true self-determination.